Last week, Gawkeruncovered a hapless tie-up between genetically modified seed/pesticide giant Monsanto and Condé Nast Media—publisher of The New Yorker, Bon Appetit, GQ, Self, Details, and other magazines—to produce "an exciting video series" on the "topics of food, food chains and sustainability."

Marion Nestle was offered $5,000 to participate for a single afternoon.

Since then, I've learned that Condé
Nast's Strategic Partnerships division dangled cash before several
high-profile food politics writers, in an unsuccessful attempt to
convince them to participate.

Marion Nestle, author of the classic book Food Politics and a
professor at New York University, told me she was offered $5,000 to
participate for a single afternoon. Nestle almost accepted, because at
first she didn't know Monsanto was involved—the initial email she
received only referred to the company in attachments that she didn’t
open, she said."It wasn’t until we were at the end of the discussion about how much
time I would allow (they wanted a full day) that they mentioned the
honorarium," she wrote in an email. "I was so shocked at the amount that
I had sense enough to ask who was paying for it. Monsanto. End of
discussion."

James McWillams, author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly and a pundit on food issues whose work appears in The Atlantic
and other publications, got offered even more. "They were not evasive
or misleading" about Monsanto's involvement, he told me, "just not
immediately forthcoming … within a question or two it was clear that
this was a PR project."

He wouldn't tell me on the record how much they dangled, but
described it as "more money than I've ever been paid to talk" and
"considerably north" of Nestle's offer. He declined.Apparently, the infamous gender gap in pay lives on, even in the
market for corporate flackery. I would have thought that snagging
Nestle, a long-time industry critic, would be worth much more than
bagging McWilliams, who has written favorably about GMOs.
Nestle, who is quoted frequently in major-media articles on food
topics, also arguably has a considerably higher public profile than does
McWilliams.

Then there's Anna Lappé, author of the book Diet for a Hot Planet
and prominent critic of the agrichemical industry. She forwarded me an
Aug. 4 email a representative of her Small Planet Foundation received
from someone identified as "Senior Director, Strategic Alliances, the
Condé Nast Media Group." The email, printed below, invited Lappé to participate in an "exciting video series being promoted on our brand websites i.e: Self, Epicurious, Bon Appetit, GQ & Details)
and living on a custom YouTube channel," centered on "food, food chains
and sustainability." It didn't mention Monsanto, but added that
"[c]ompensation will be provided, along with travel two/from the shoot
location." It contained no mention of Monsanto, or specifics on the
compensation offer.

Coincidentally, Lappé was already wise to the Monsanto/Condé
Nast tie-up. Back in June, she had been forwarded an email about a
forthcoming web-based TV show sponsored by Monsanto and produced by Condé Nast, in search of experts to appear as talking heads. Lappé wrote critically about the project in an Al Jazeera America column published Aug. 1, just days before the Condé Nast rep approached her. "I guess they didn't read the column," Lappé says.She replied to the Condé
Nast proposition on August 7, complaining that "it was misleading to
approach me about participating without divulging the series is being
funded by Monsanto." She never heard back.

That same day, Gawker came out with its post, which contained a leaked email from another Condé Nast employee to unnamed charity group, which contains similar language to the one Lappé
received. "We are contacting you to see if there might be a person at
[charity group] who could speak to one or two of the episode subject,"
the email states. (The email also names documentary film maker Lori
Silverbush as someone Condé Nast hoped would be part of the panel. Silverbush's husband, the famed New York City chef Tom Colicchio, later tweeted, "Lori declined the Monsanto 'opportunity' when it was first offered, for reasons you can imagine.")

The series' host, the email continued, would be Mo Rocca, a famed comedian and correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. Lappé,
McWilliams, and Nestle were also informed that Rocca would appear as
the show's host. "When I looked up Mo Rocca, he sounded like fun,"
Nestle told me.

Soon after the Gawker item appeared, Rocca wrote a note
to the publication denying his involvement. "Yes, I was pitched that
project but before I gave my answer a letter went out suggesting I was
signed on," he wrote. "That's not the case. I'm not involved with it."I've reached out to Condé Nast for comment, and will update this post if the company gets back.